Fourth Assignment

Symbol: Holden's Red Hunting Hat. He describes this hat in the beginning of the book but he continues to talk about it throughout the book. I know it's a symbol because he continues to talk about it and it gives him some uniqueness that is very noticeable. It kind of makes the character become a symbol himself.

Metaphor: "I don't think I'll ever forgive him for reading that crap out loud." In the beginning of the book Holden visits his old teacher who reads him one of his tests which he knows he did completely horrible on and he resents that his teacher reads it to him again. This is a metaphor because the teacher is not literally reading him crap.

Metaphor: "I just want to thank you for being such a goddamn prince, that's all." Holden and one of the guys who go to the same school don't really get along but their rooms are next to each other. Holden isn't patient at all and Ackley is just obnoxious and just says stupid things. Holden goes to Ackley's room and Ackley keeps telling him he can't stay there. Lets just say he isn't a very good host. So Holden, being sarcastic, tells him he is a prince, which he literally isn't, for his hospitality and how nice he is.

For the two metaphors I found the characters say things that can't be literally applied. And for symbol, it just makes the character unique and when you think of the character you can picture the hat. The hat represents more than just a fashion item. Plus, Mr. Downing told us that if we think its an element, then it is, we just need to back it up and understand it.

The red hunting hat's job in the book is to make you remember the character for its uniqueness. All the other characters talk bad about his hat and make fun of him, but every time you picture Holden you can see him with his red hunting hat with the peak in the back, just like he likes it.

When Holden says he will never forgive him for reading that crap we know its a metaphor because it isn't literally crap. The reason this metaphor was put in the book is so the reader can see that Holden was being kicked out of school for a reason. He didn't do well and he knows it, he knows his work was bad and he knows he deserves to be kicked out but it just hurts him when people see it I guess and they remind him of it and throw it in his face.

Calling Ackley a prince allows Holden to describe him without going into detail. When you read the whole paragraph you realize his sarcasm and how Holden wants you to see what a rude person Ackley can be. So this metaphor was made to describe a character in a way that is funny and very simple. Ackley isn't literally a prince, but with the sarcasm you can see that he really is rude, a jerk, a bad host and just a very unlikeable person.

I guess I don't know exactly the project of this book. I mean it's one of those books that make you see the life of a teenager who has problems, he knows it but he doesn't change. He has problems like people in real life and I guess what the author it trying to do is let the reader see how bad the life of someone who is different , speaks their mind, is a terrific liar, has pain inside and feels lonely, can be. Holden is a very unique character, he isn't the perfect character we see in movies where they live happily ever after. He lost his brother, which you can feel he misses terribly, he has moved from one school to another for being kicked out, he lies very well and although he does regret it sometimes, he just doesn't stop. Many teenagers have some, all or even more of these qualities which just makes the reader think of their teenage years, or if its a teenager like myself reading it, how their life is similar to his, and it just makes you want to have some sort of change I guess and become a better person.